Wheat beer is a beer that is produced and brewed with a large proportion of wheat. Wheat beers often also contain a significant proportion of malted barley. Wheat beers are usually top-fermented {meaning the yeast circulates throughout the entirety of the vat} (as required by law in Germany). The flavor of wheat beers varies considerably, depending upon the specific style.
The main varieties are weissbier, witbier, and the sour varieties, such as the lambics.
Weissbier refers to several different types of wheat beer. The term "hefeweizen" refers to wheat beer in its traditional, unfiltered form.(Hefe is the German word for yeast) The term kristallweizen (crystal wheat), or kristall weiss (crystal white beer), refers to a wheat beer that is filtered to remove the yeast from suspension. Additionally, the filtration process removes wheat proteins present in the beer which contribute to its cloudy appearance.
Weissbier is available in a number of other stronger forms including dunkelweizen (dark wheat) and weizenstarkbier (strong wheat beer), commonly referred to as weizenbock. The dark wheat varieties typically have a much higher alcohol content than their lighter cousins.
Alternative terms for hefeweizen include hefeweissbier, weissbier, hefeweisse, dunkelweizen, weizenbock, and weizenstarkbier.
The hefeweizen style is particularly noted for its low hop bitterness (about 15 IBUs) and relatively high carbonation, considered important to balance the beer's relatively malty sweetness.
Another balancing flavour note unique to hefeweizen beer is its phenolic character; its signature phenol is 4-vinyl guaiacol, the result of fermentation by top-fermenting yeast appropriate for the style. Hefeweizen's phenolic character has been described as "clove" and "medicinal" ("Band-aid") but also smoky. Other more typical but less assertive flavor notes produced by Weissbier yeast include "banana", "bubble gum", and sometimes "vanilla".
And just so you know, Bud Light Golden Wheat was quite possibly only developed to compete with Miller/Coors Blue Moon, which though I love it, is not a craft beer, nor is it produced in Belgium. If you actually spend your money on Bud Lite GW, you should give a real witbier a try like Samuel Adams White Ale in my humble opinion. If you drink Light Beer because you have convinced yourself you actually like it, then you are either woefully uneducated or simply enjoy urinating a great deal. But, fear not, we will help cure you of your ignorance. Ha!
-Zach-
Light beer is beer which has been brewed in a special way to reduce the overall caloric or alcohol content, and in some cases both. Many people drink light beer because they enjoy the flavor, or because they believe that it is healthier than regular beer. Other beer consumers are dismissive of light beer, arguing that it has a disagreeably thin flavor and it is not, in actuality, that much healthier than ordinary beers.
Light beer is beer which has been brewed in a special way to reduce the overall caloric or alcohol content, and in some cases both. Many people drink light beer because they enjoy the flavor, or because they believe that it is healthier than regular beer. Other beer consumers are dismissive of light beer, arguing that it has a disagreeably thin flavor and it is not, in actuality, that much healthier than ordinary beers.
There are several ways to make beer light. Higher fermentation temperatures tend to cut down on alcohol content, as will various techniques for handling the barley mash which is fermented to make the beer in the first place. Some brewers also use ingredients like rice and wheat in their beers to make them lighter. These ingredients are also often less expensive and allow the brewer to increase his profit margin. The other option is the addition of enzymes which will break down substances in the beer known as dextrins. ( Dextrins are a group of low-molecular-weight carbohydrates) Dextrins are not fermentable; they retain their structure through the brewing process, adding mouthfeel, texture, and a rich aroma. By breaking the dextrins down, brewers can reduce the caloric content of the beer.
Taking these steps may not always have much of an impact on the caloric content of a light beer, and you may find only a negligible difference in calories between a light beer and a pale lager (otherwise known as a pilsner). To deal with this, some brewers will simply add water to their pilsners to create "Light Beer", which of course dilutes the taste. If you make a conscious decision to consume light beer after being informed, well I respect and defend your right to drink or not drink whatever you want. Who knows, you may actually see a review on this site for light beer. Just remember, "Life is too short to drink bad beer."
-Zech-
India Pale Ales (IPA)
Have you ever wondered why IPAs are so hoppy? Well, please allow me to enlighten you. During the British Colonization of India, beer for the Brits stationed there would always arrive spoiled. Spoiled beer does not a happy soldier make, and so the famed British brewmasters needed a solution if they were to keep their lucrative contracts with the crown. What solution did they come up with? Add lots of hops to the brew, which are natural preservatives. (The alpha acids by which Hops are rated, don't allow bacteria to grow). So imagine yourself as a British soldier spending years posted in hot & humid India and the only beer you had access to was extremely hoppy. So you develop a taste for it and when you finally get back to Merry Olde England, you want a beer as bitter as what you have been drinking for the past several years, cuz the bitters and brown ales and stouts just don't do it for you anymore. Voila! The IPA was born and spread thus to the world as Fathers passed down their taste for hoppy beer to their sons. These sons then carried a love of IPAs to the new world, and now you and I can drink them.
-Cheers to all the HopHeads out there (you know who you are) Zech-
Tripel
Tripel is a term used by brewers mainly in the Netherlands and Belgium & some other European countries as well as the United States of America to describe strong pale ales, with high abv (gravity) loosely in the style of the Westmalle Tripel, first called such in 1956 by the monks who produced it at the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, in Westmalle, Belgium. The term Trappist refers to the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.: Ordo Cisterciensis Strictioris Observantiae), or Trappists, which is a Roman Catholic religious order of contemplative monks who follow the Rule of St. Benedict, and have established seven breweries that produce beers allowed to carry the Trappist label. Chimay is one such beer, but I personally hate it.
-Zech-
